Ghee – the Food of Gods Ghee, which is called GRITA in Sanskrit, and known by us as clarified butter, is both a food and a powerful medicine, often used in Eastern cuisine, especially Indian one. It represents an important ingredient of AYURVEDA traditional Indian medicine (with an over 5000 year old tradition). It’s extremely powerful properties make ghee superior to ordinary butter, from a nutritious perspective, and traditional AYURVEDA medicine recommends ghee for a variety of illnesses and health issues. Ghee – “the sacred food” Ghee is considered to be “the food of the gods and goddesses”. It has a sacred role in the Hindu tradition, used in sacred rituals. Dripping melted ghee into the ritual fire is a symbol for the maintenance of the sacred fire AGNI, the subtle bearer of life. In Hindu mythology it is said that PARJAPATI, supreme Hindu goddess, has created ghee by rubbing her palms together. By dripping ghee in her sacred fire, AGNI, she created her sons, thus ensuring the continuity of life. The difference between ordinary butter and ghee There is a fundamental difference between ordinary butter and clarified butter or ghee. When preparing clarified butter, water and proteins, as well as some unhealthy fats are eliminated. The only thing that remains is pure good fat and thus we obtain a product which is superior to ordinary butter. The ghee which is properly cooked does not become rancid, it does not decay and it can be kept in room temperature for weeks or even years, without losing its qualities. As a matter of fact, ancient ayurvedic texts say that the older the ghee (clarified butter) - the more “aged” it is, the higher value it has from a therapeutic perspective, being used in healing many afflictions, including psychic ones.
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How to prepare ghee? Ghee is prepared from unsalted ecological cow butter, which has plenty of fat, preferably without any food additives. You place the butter in a stainless steel cooker and melt it slowly at the lowest temperature. After it melts, the water will begin to emerge as a white-yellow foam. You will stir with a wooden spoon. This process will keep on all along the process of obtaining the ghee. In the first minutes of boiling, melted butter contains many white crumbles which represent water and certain protein and fat from the milk. They will eventually separate from the ghee. During the formation process, these crumbles will either be deposited at the bottom of the cooker (in the form of a brown deposit which will bind to the bottom of it), or they will dissolve in the foam forming at the surface of the fluid. At some point, after the elimination of the residual components and water, the clear separation of ghee will occur, in the form of a bright yellow fluid, clear, transparent, with no crumbles inside except the ones deposited on the bottom. The crumbles need to be dark brown, but not black! If they turned black, the whole ghee became toxic… so pay attention. Now you can take the cooker off the fire and filter it through a cheesecloth. This way you will remove any foam traces and residues. You will then place the liquid in a glass jar with a cap and you will keep it in room temperature. If all the water and protein residues have been eliminated from the butter, you do not have to keep it in the fridge. This aspect will also prove that the ghee you prepared is genuine. Ancient ayurvedic texts say that well prepared ghee from quality butter can stay even for a hundred years in room temperature without going bad. Therapeutic properties - Tonic, rejuvenating, nutritious (ayurvedic texts say that “it nourishes all the tissues and organs”) - Anti-anaemic - Detoxifying (stops toxic accumulations called “AMA” in AYURVEDA medicine) - Antidote in case of poisoning - Decreases cholesterol levels - Stimulates digestion
- Decreases gastric acid - Recommended for chronic cough, bronchitis and asthma (together with certain plant mixtures) - Recommended for bile problems - Recommended for insomnia – one teaspoon of ghee with warm milk in the evening induces sleep naturally - Recommended in epilepsy and memory loss - Used in skin problems - Lubricates skin and mucous membranes, makes hair, nails and skin glow, if used regularly
Ghee is a basic element used both in the preparation of therapeutic remedies in AYURVEDA medicine, as well as for body purification processes, called PANCHAKARMA within the same AYURVEDA system. How to use ghee in alimentation? Indian cuisine uses ghee in cooking and roasting foods, its digestive properties (easy to digest, stimulates digestion and absorption of certain nutritious principles) making it indispensable from all kinds of foods. In India, children are fed a teaspoon of ghee daily both for stimulating their physical growth and development, and for increasing their intelligence and memory. Try it, it tastes divine and it has an orgasmic smell!
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